TSA students qualify for nationals

While Orlando, Fla., may be a popular vacation destination, several Leavenworth High School students will have a different reason for traveling there this summer.

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By John Richmeier

The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

By John Richmeier

Posted May. 4, 2013 at 9:00 AM

By John Richmeier
Posted May. 4, 2013 at 9:00 AM

While Orlando, Fla., may be a popular vacation destination, several Leavenworth High School students will have a different reason for traveling there this summer.

They will be competing in events at the Technology Student Association national conference, which is scheduled for June 28-July 2, according adviser Ruth Striggow.

Six Leavenworth High School students plan to attend the national conference. They qualified for nationals by finishing in first, second or third place at a state conference at the end of March in Salina.

"It was probably one of our most successful trips," Striggow said.

She said a total of 10 Leavenworth High School students went to the state conference.

"All 10 of those students placed somewhere in the top four in the state of Kansas this year," she said.

Five of the students had first-place finishes at the state level.

Senior Josh Benard took first place in a computer-aided design mechanical drafting competition. Striggow said he also had a first-place state finish in the same event last year before going on to take the top spot in the national competition.

Senior Anna Salvatorelli finished first at this year's state conference in a technology sketching event. This was the third straight year she finished first in the state for this event. This year, she also took first in the state for a transportation modeling competition, according to Striggow.

Salvatorelli and junior Aimee Hanson finished first at the state conference in an architectural renovation competition. This was the third year in a row they've finished in first place for this event.

Senior Julie Kohl, who is the president of the high school's TSA chapter, finished first in a prepared presentation competition.

Senior Josh Barger had a first-place showing at the state conference for an architectural computer-aided design competition.

In addition to the first-place finishers, senior Logan Burkey also plans to attend the national conference. He and sophomore Zach Terry, who will not be attending, had a second-place finish at the state conference in a video game design event, Striggow said.

Benard also had a second-place finish in an open source code software event, and Hanson finished second in the architectural computer-aided design category, according to Striggow.

Hanson and Salvatorelli had a third-place finish in a music production competition.

Also at the state conference, sophomore Alex Karrach finished in fourth place for a promotional graphics competition. Sophomore Alex Samouce came in fourth in the technical sketching event. Sophomore Jessica Burnson also had a fourth-place finish for a flight endurance event.

Burkey and Terry finished fifth in a bridge building event, and Burkey came in fifth in the flight endurance competition, according to Striggow.